Disclaimer:
At the time of my writing this review, January 27th, 2020, the DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment was officially released to the market. I was able to acquire one on release due to pre-ordering, and I will share my initial impressions after playing with it a few hours today, and will update the review as I've garnered more experience with the product.
Un-boxing and installation:
I was very pleased with the slender box used to carry the unit itself. Upon opening the box, they craftily placed text, reading "Important - Read First", and attached were the directions on how to install and program the unit (for a total of 2 easy steps). The instructions were very straightforward, although it took me around 5 minutes to install the unit to the controller personally, as there is a little bit of finesse involved and I was afraid of breaking something. Just trust the directions, and you will be fine. It doesn't feel like it's going in the right way, but just push in when everything is lined up and it will pop into place.
Initial Impressions:
The attachment on the controller felt great in the hands when first holding it, and the buttons provide a more crisp, mouse-like click, as opposed to the more silent and less tactile DualShock buttons. However, after using the product for just about 30 minutes, my hands had already begun to cramp up due to the extra material that I had to grip. I'll have to update this review after further experience with the product to see if this problem persists, but these buttons are very thick as compared to other slimmer options currently in the market, such as paddles. I have normal sized hands, but regardless, it will fundamentally change the way you hold your controller and at least from my first experience, it seemed to give me more inputs (obviously) for the trade-off of less control due to the increased surface area of the controller which causes the hand cramping.. I noticed that I could no longer apply pressure to where I used to hold the controller, otherwise I would be pressing these new back buttons. And if I still want to hold the controller, the pressure has to be applied somewhere else so that it doesn't fall out of my hands. This is where most of the pressure started building in the sides of my hands, and on my fingers trying to awkwardly hold it but not accidentally pushing the back buttons. If you have larger hands, it may be a better option for you, but it will still change how you hold your controller, and probably still cause cramping as most of the applied pressure must be at the sides of the controller, rather than around it.
Extra information:
1. Media coverage of this product advertises the screen as a touchscreen - this is not the case. By media coverage, I mean from mostly third party news sources and outlets. At least on this Amazon page, it is correctly addressed as a digital screen. But do not be mistaken by the media claiming it to be a touch screen, it is simply a digital screen that you operate with the two back buttons themselves, and then the screen itself is a third button in which you can press, but it is not touch-operated.
2. The industry standard for backside buttons, or backside paddles for competitive play is 4, and this product only contains 2. This should not be a problem for most people, but I point it out because if you're purchasing this product then you're probably looking for a competitive advantage, and in that case two less inputs may not be what you're looking for.
3. Sony is VERY new to developing any kind of first-party upgrades for their competitive or professional players. Microsoft has had their own first party elite controller for XBox with backside paddles and numerous other additions for years. As have countless third party companies and fans created their own renditions of what they think would be helpful to players in the competitive scene.. But this is the first time Sony has created anything like this, and part of the reason they've released this product is because there have been leaks of the DualShock 5 (next gen controller) that show it having paddles, and with this back button attachment, you will most likely be able to use your DualShock 4 on a PS5 and utilize all of its capabilities. Basically what I'm saying is, this is a test run for Sony. They're using this product to garner feedback so that they can improve the DualShock 5 when that releases, and it's also their first crack at it, so it may disappoint you until they release something better.
4. This product was mainly created for FPS/BR/shooting games for competitive play, although you can certainly use it for any game or genre.
5. The attachment does NOT need to be charged. It works off of your DualShock battery when installed, and the screen is only illuminated when programming it or changing presets. Otherwise, the screen is off while you are using the controller and it will use next to no charge.
6. You can only bind pre-existing DualShock 4 buttons to each of the two back buttons. Meaning that you're not truly gaining MORE inputs, but you're gaining a more convenient place to press an already existing input.. You're essentially cloning an existing input from anywhere on the controller, and putting it on one of the two back buttons. And if you've bound one of the back buttons to a specific input, like triangle, for example, you can still use the triangle button. It will just mean that you can now use the triangle button in two different places, you will NOT lose the ability to use the original input.
7. It doesn't seem like it will scratch your controller, as the inside of the attachment is lined with a very soft silicone-type rubber. The only thing to be cautious of is the application process, as it can be a little tricky to plugin.
8. You can press anywhere on the buttons to actuate and trigger them, not just the part that folds out. This is nice for people of different hand sizes.
In closing:
It was a very comfortable product when I first put it on the controller and in my hands like I said, but after about 30 minutes my hands had begun to cramp as I had to fundamentally change the way I held my controller. This is the main reason I gave the product 3/5 stars, as I had to take it off to play more comfortably. However, the un-boxing experience and directions were very clear. The installation process itself was a little dicey, again another reason for the rating. But the quality seems nice, and I think it will last a long time. I will be installing it again and updating this review once I've had more experience with the product.
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DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment - PlayStation 4 (Renewed) $22.99
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Unboxing of the Sony Back Button Attachment
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Customer Review: akward because of how they hand rests
David Serna
With this attachment; you are able to map two programmable buttons to paddle buttons to the back of the controller without disabling the buttons programed.Able to program any button the duel shock controller except the share and touch pad buttonVery ergonomic. Takes a while to get used to if you never use a controller with back paddles before.This makes it more convenient when playing first person shooters where you don't have to move your thumb off the right thumb stick to press the jump button throwing off your aim (especially in games that has double jumps, slides and/or jet packs).Good for RPGs where you can map any of the D-pad buttons for item use, or other special abilitiesFor racing games you can buttons to shift gears or use weaponsOr if you don't like to use claw method when holding the controller (for L2, R2); it's more ergonomic to use this attachment.There's no input lag when using.Able to use this wirelessly.It uses the controller's battery. Has same battery life as if you were to use controller regularly without attachment. Unless you keep touching the LED program buttonsLED is not on all the time, only on when you need to adjust somethingNo need to plug into PC/laptop, or go into Ps4 settings to map buttons.Tap the LED on back to change up to 3 profilesHold to go to edit/map button screen, cycle through buttons you want with paddle buttons, then click LED to set. Single button mapping only. Not able to do multiple inputs, or turbo functionality.To physically install align audio jack and pres in. Once in, it fits like a glove.Button has good click to them. Not too loose and not too firmThere's an audio jack pass-through for those who use wired controllersIt does have a little weight. When attached will weight about same as X1 controller with batteries insideIf you use dock charging stations, some 3rd party ones where you dock from bottom may get in the way with attachment onMay not fit some 3rd party controllersIf you're looking for a more comfortable gaming experience, or one that gives you a slight advantage when gaming it's a very good purchase. Way better than purchasing a $100+ controller* with back paddles. *Note that some of these $100+ controllers may have extra functionality such as swapable/modular thumbsticks/D-pad with sensibility adjustments, extra padding on grip, able to program multiple inputs into one button, more than 2 paddles, etc. But if you just want back paddles on your controller without the other extras it's a very affordable.
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Top reviews from other countries
Alex
Exactly what I needed !!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 4, 2020
Andrew S.
Slightly awkward to install but looks like part of the controller when in place
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 12, 2021
Andrew S.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 12, 2021
The back button attachment also has its own screen to show which of its buttons are being used/assigned as. The lower section of the screen also doubles as a button to select/confirm one of the 3 programmable preset modes for its buttons. Programming the buttons are quite straightforward and works fine.
The attachment is powered by the Dualshock 4 controller. It doesn't require its own power source, batteries, charger etc. The power is supplied to the attachment by the ext interface port located on the Dualshock 4 controller (usually used for charging the controller's or attaching a wired headset). There is also a headset input on the attachment so that players are still able to connect a wired headset to the Dualshock 4 if needed.
If I had any complaints about the attachment there would be only 2 I can think of. This being:
1. Installation is quite awkward and on the first time you may feel like your going to damage something due to the very snug fit. However you do get used to how the attachment connects to the DS4 after a few times. Removal is a lot easier.
I recommend a user to definitely check the installation guide diagrams/instructions that come in the box before attempting to connecting the attachment.
2. Unless you charge your Dualshock 4 controller via the usb port instead of the ext port. You will have to remove the attachment everytime to charge your controller.
Personally. I prefer to use the ext port to charge my DS4 controller's as it provides a faster charging time and also cuts power once the controller is fully charged to prevent overcharging/damaging the DS4s battery.
Overall. I was quite surprised by this attachment and glad I purchased it. I paid £29 direct from Amazon with Prime delivery. I believe when these were originally released. The rrp was £25.99 but were hard to find or limited to certain stores only. At £30 it is still a worthwhile purchase BUT I wouldn't pay any higher.
The attachment is compatible with both Dualshock 4 V1 and V2 controller's
It is not compatible with the PS3 Dualshock 3/Sixaxis or the PlayStation 5's Dualsense controller's
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